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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · file · temple · content · bear · pop · deal · kid

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bear — the animal
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ground — a position
  12. kid — child
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. content — the amount
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. content — happy
  18. deal — to handle
  19. pop — music
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pop — soda
  22. file — a document
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com